Stephen Kavalkovich Hosts a New Podcast Spotlighting the Challenges Facing First Responders and Helps Them Find Solutions

August 1112:402017

Fire fighters, police officers, military personnel, and EMS providers are under immense pressure and stress. This can lead to incredible challenges both at work and home. Rescue the Rescuers spotlights these problems and helps find solutions.

The Rescue the Rescuer Podcast helps First Responders, as well as their families and professionals within the substance abuse field, PTSD counseling, and relationship coaches with expert wisdom, advice and success strategies that work today.

Nationally certified Recovery Coach, Stephen Kavalkovich, hosts a new online radio show, Rescue the Rescuer, which is designed to help reduce the shame and highlight strategies that work to alleviate and eliminate common stumbling blocks for First Responders like addiction, PTSD, relationship failure, and more.

“I know how difficult it can be to access recovery, PTSD, relationship counseling resources, and other professional help. The goal of this show is to provide valuable insight for First Responders who are experiencing challenges like these, as well as their friends, family, and others who are impacted along the way.

This show is also a terrific way for industry leaders to learn new, powerful skills and effective strategies. It’s also a fantastic opportunity for addiction recovery, PTSD, and other experts to network with fellow professionals. I’m honored and excited to start this new adventure,” said Kavalkovich.

Work in Emergency Medical Services carries with it the stress, the burnout, the up to 36% rates of depression, and the inordinately high rate of suicide that comes with being a First Responder.

In a world where substance abuse is common, other common challenges are often related to depression and suicide.

A recent US News article stated, “Suicides among first responders, often driven by emotional strain in a culture that long has discouraged showing weakness, are too common, according to organizations that track the deaths.

A survey of more than 4,000 first responders found that 6.6 percent had attempted suicide, which is more than 10 times the rate in the general population, according to a 2015 article published in the Journal of Emergency Medical Services.”

Also, with opioid overdoses rising nationwide, the First Responder profession has not gone untouched, spurred by prescription painkiller and heroin abuse.

Recently, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy has taken unprecedented action. Dr. Murthy mailed letters to 2.3 million prescribers nationwide, calling on physicians to harness their “unique power to help end this epidemic.” According to the CDC, more than 80 Americans die every day from an opioid overdose.

“I think this is one of our greatest public health threats and it’s one that we have to respond to with speed and with urgency,” Murthy told CBS recently. “All of us have had a role to play.”

Mr. Kavalkovich’s goal for the show is to bring even more attention to these and more problems which all too often impact the First Responder field. Rescue the Rescuer will help reduce the stigma surrounding the diseases of addiction, PTSD, and depression.

The growth in demand for addiction recovery, PTSD counseling, and family support along with access to strategies and services is astonishing, and Rescue the Rescuer will help to service that need.

“As a long-term recovering drug user, PTSD sufferer, and former 911 Paramedic, I feel compelled to help those who struggle with addiction and PTSD to find a path to freedom and a life of health and happiness,” Kavalkovich concluded.

The Rescue the Rescuer podcast can be found on iTunes, Stitcher, Spreaker, YouTube and Google Play.

The show is also featured on WCKG Chicago’s On-Demand Library, the Business Innovators Radio Network, and the Mental Health News Radio Network.